1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a novel process for the preparation of 1-(4-Chlorophenyl)-4,4-dimethylpent-1-ene-3-one, also known as Phenyl aldol.
2. Description of the Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98
Phenyl aldol is an important intermediate used in the preparation of agrochemicals.
Phenyl aldol has been manufactured by using solvents in its preparation. Its manufacture is described for example, in German Patents DE 392 11 67 and DE 400 40 31. Phenyl aldol is also described in French Patent No. 2,253,505 and in an article entitled Activated Barium Hydroxide As A Catalyst In Organic Synthesis, Garcia-Raso, et. al., Polish Journal of Chemistry, 1982, Vol. 56, 10–12, pp. 1435–45 (1982). French Patent No. 2,253,505 not only requires filtration and recrystallization steps, but its yields are only about 40 to 80%.
The use of a solvent in the manufacturing process of Phenyl aldol requires a separate storage tank for the solvent and all the associated complications of handling an additional component in the manufacturing sequence. Moreover, known processes for manufacturing Phenyl aldol require additional process steps, including but not limited to crystallization and filtration, which require specialized equipment and additional cycle time to conduct these operations. Also, during those steps, some product loss usually happens.
There is a need in the art for a process for the manufacture of Phenyl aldol which does not require the use of a separate solvent and which can be conducted without additional process steps such as crystallization and filtration.